Reintegration Assistance

Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme aims to ensure that people who are in Portugal, third-country nationals, who are not able to stay in Portugal and who wish to return voluntarily to their countries of origin, can do so in a dignified and safe manner, and that, in certain cases, they can be supported to achieve sustainable reintegration in their country of origin,  in full respect of their human rights, regardless of their migratory status.  The individual reintegration component aims to respond to the specific needs of migrants, which has a limited number and is awarded upon application by the beneficiaries.

What is reintegration assistance?

Return is usually followed by a process of adaptation of migrants to their return societies. Over the past 40 years of implementing projects to support voluntary return around the world, IOM has observed that reintegration assistance is a key factor in minimizing the vulnerability of migrants on their return, protecting their rights and supporting them to restart their lives in return communities. For this reason, IOM believes that the notions of return and reintegration are intertwined with the issue of sustainability.

IOM considers that in order to achieve sustainable reintegration, it is necessary to adopt an integrated approach to reintegration, taking into account the factors that can affect the process in the economic, social and psychosocial dimensions, and to work with interventions at the individual, community and structural levels. In this sense, IOM adopted in 2017 an integrated approach to reintegration, defining sustainable reintegration as follows: "When returnees achieve levels of economic self-sufficiency, social stability in their communities and psychosocial well-being that allows them to cope with (re)migration variables. When sustainable reintegration is achieved, returnees are able to make migratory decisions by choice rather than necessity" (IOM, 2017)

• The economic dimension covers aspects of reintegration that contribute to self-sufficiency, and may include the ability to borrow, debt-to-spending ratio, the need for food rationing, adequacy of employment, ownership of productive assets, etc.
• The social dimension reflects the extent to which returnees have achieved social stability within their communities, including access to housing, education, justice, health, and other public services.  
• The psychosocial dimension encompasses the emotional, mental and psychological elements of reintegration. Psychological needs (such as the need for therapy) are only one component of the psychosocial dimension.

In this sense, the ARVoRe IX Programme seeks to contribute to this definition with the possibility of reintegration support that includes the transfer of a reintegration allowance (up to EUR 2000) delivered individually and transferred in two instalments directly to the beneficiary's account after her return. This support is limited and allocated to a small number of beneficiaries of the Programme, depending on the needs, vulnerability factors, and budgetary availability of the Programme.

How can he reintegration support grant be used?

The reintegration support allowance allows you to invest mainly in income-generating activities and/or vocational training that can facilitate access to the labour market. After an individual analysis, other types of expenses may be considered, such as health expenses, education expenses, or basic necessities. An individual reintegration plan is prepared with the person before their return, outlining how they intend to use the allowance. This plan can also be revised after its arrival in the country of origin, with support from IOM.

Who can benefit from reintegration support?

Although this support is limited, all beneficiaries of the Voluntary Return Program can apply for reintegration support. If you are interested, you must express your intention to apply at the time of registration in the Program, where more information will be shared. Once your return process is approved, you should reinforce your intention to apply for reintegration support so that we can schedule an interview and begin the application process.

Each application is evaluated individually, considering criteria such as personal needs, skills, sustainability and feasibility of the reintegration plans, as well as the budget availability of the Project and the support monitoring structures.

Follow-up and Monitoring

In addition to the financial subsidy, support from the ARVoRe IX Programme presupposes monitoring of the reintegration process by IOM in the country of origin and by partner institutions, if applicable, for a period of 6 months after return. This support contributes to the social, and sometimes also psychosocial, dimension of the reintegration process. During this period, beneficiaries receive advice from IOM on their reintegration plan and are referred to public services and other locally existing programmes, depending on their needs. There is also a monitoring process, in which IOM in the country of origin applies questionnaires in order to assess the process of reintegration and satisfaction of returnees. If possible, a face-to-face visit to the beneficiaries is organised. However, if the necessary conditions for face-to-face visits are not met, this contact must be established at a distance using the most appropriate means of communication and/or digital platforms, depending on the situation.